Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Preschool Time Hooray for Books! By Brian Won Boston; New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. Picture Book. While Turtle seeks his favorite book, each of his friends offers his or her favorite to thank him for sharing. --Editor Preschool Time A Love Letter to My Library Written by Lisa Katzenberger Illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks eXplore, 2024. Picture Book.  Children in the community express gratitude for their local library's fun activities and inclusive space. --Editor Toddler Time The New LiBEARian Written by Alison Donald Illustrated by Alex Willmore Boston; New York: Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. Picture Book. When the children discover a bear at the librarian's desk at story time, they think he's the new librarian. He's not! --Publisher Book Babies Sigh Like a Sloth By Nicole LaRue Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2022. Board Book. This board book introduces toddlers to simple breathing exercises perfect for encouraging focu...

With mixed emotions and fresh pencils, summer has ended and school has begun. Here are a few short, illustrated chapter books that take you there - some realistic, some fantastical, but all sensitive to this real transition children make. See Bibsy Cross and Still Sal for a couple more excellent back-to-school Intermediates! Bulldozer Goes to School Written by Elise Broach Illustrated by Kelly Murphy New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2025. Intermediate. 110 pages.  Bulldozer, a gentle construction vehicle living in a world of humans, is nervous about starting school. His story is full of understated conflicts: He wants to be true to himself, but he also wants to fit in, he has doubts and fears, but he also has moments of success and delight. It's sweet, funny, and true. I love the greyscale and soft orange illustrations throughout. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus Written by Barbara Park Illustrated by Denise Brunkus New York: Random House, 1992. Intermediate. 69 pages...

  Hurricane By Jason Chin New York: Neal Porter Book, Holiday House, 2025. Informational. This informational picture book by Caldecott winner Jason Chin shows step-by-step the process of preparing for a storm in an island off of North Carolina. First comes weeks of speculation; how strong is the storm? Will we be in the evacuation zone? As scientists, meteorologists, and hurricane hunters study the storm's path, the decision is made to evacuate the island. Chin walks the reader through the process of preparing your house for a storm, packing up your most important belongings into your car, and leaving your home behind. It also discusses dealing with cleanup after a hurricane's destruction. Jason Chin is well-known for his beautifully detailed illustrated nonfiction, and this book is no exception. Readers will learn something new, but will definitely also pause to look at the highly intricate, gorgeous artwork. 

Whether your reader is going to school for the first time or returning for another busy year, these new picture books are a great way to get in the school year mindset! Scarecited on the First Day of School Written by Alliah L. Agostini Illustrated by Lala Watkins  New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025. Picture Book.  Have you ever felt more than one way about something? Of course you have! This delightful picture book perfectly encapsulates that phenomenon --because it's Afua's first day of school, and she's feeling so many things!  The Tour at School! Written by Katie Clapham Illustrated by Nadia Shireen Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2025. Picture Book. Get ready to smile until your face hurts at the antics of this young new tour guide! Our tour guide is very self-assured, and reminds readers that when you're assigned to show a new student around there are some things you absolutely must remember to do, like: Sound very excited, locate the echo-ey bathroom fi...

Just last week, there was a wildfire on the mountain near our library. When I was driving the night it started, several people had pulled off the side of the road to take pictures of it. When wildfires happen, and especially when you can see the flames from your home, it can be pretty scary but also fascinating. If you or any kids in your life want to learn more about wildfires after hearing about them on the news or at school, here's a list of five books that center around how wildfires happen and how people and animals respond to them. When Forests Burn: The Story of Wildfires in America By Albert Marrin New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. Informational. 240 pages. What many people might not know, is that forest fires are a natural part of a forest's life cycle. Author Marrin explains that fires can remove dead trees and clear the forest floors, but mass-deforestation and humans trying to prevent small forest fires caused much larger and deadlier wildfires. This informational ch...

When You Love a Book Written by Kaz Windness Illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee New York: Flamingo Books, 2024. Picture Book. An ode to childhood classics that celebrates the companionship books offer throughout all stages of life. --Editor How to Read a Book Written by Kwame Alexander Illustrated by Melissa Sweet New York: Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019. Picture Book. Suggests a method of reading that begins with planting oneself beneath a tree and leads to a book party one hopes will never end. --Editor My Book and Me Written by Linda Sue Park Illustrated by Chris Raschka Brooklyn: Red Comet Press, 2024. Picture Book. A celebration of the joy that books and reading bring to children, anywhere, anytime. --Editor Here Is a Book By Elisha Cooper New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book.  The life of a picture book begins in the artist's studio, journeys through the world of publishing, finds itself on a bookshelf, and lands in the home of a ...